


The Risk of Falling (in Love)

by Winterbells



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-01 09:12:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13291689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winterbells/pseuds/Winterbells
Summary: We all know the story of Harry, Ron, and Hermione's years at Hogwarts, but what about Dean and Seamus.Hogwarts through the eyes of Dean and Seamus.Chapter will alternate between Dean and Seamus's POV, but I promise nothing is in first person.





	1. What's mine is yours

Most children believe in magic, dragons and knights, princesses and fairies, and Dean Thomas was no different; however, when a lady came up to his front door and told him he was a wizard and was going to be learning magic in a boarding school in the middle of nowhere, he was absolutely sure she was lying. There was no way he was a wizard, sure, sometimes things happened around him, things he couldn’t quite explain, but there was no way he was a wizard. The woman explained that sometimes wizards could be born out of non magical parents, muggles she called them, but Mrs. Thomas let her know that there was no way of knowing whether Dean’s father was a wizard or not because he had left them before Dean could even form a memory of him, she wasn’t sure but she believed that he could have also been a wizard.

Soon enough summer was over and Dean found himself in Diagon Alley with his parents, searching for all kinds of school supplies he would need, wand, robes, parchment, quills, Dean had never been particularly fond of school but he was sure he was going to love it at Hogwarts. Platform nine and three quarters was the most terrifying thing out of everything so far, he was told he just had to run towards the pillar and everything would be alright. Dean looked up to his parents and noticed a worried expression on their faces, they weren’t to sure about running head first into a brick wall either. Together, they held the trolley tightly and started to run, Dean braced himself for the inevitable crash, but it never came, when he opened his eyes he couldn’t believe what he saw, a bright red train with the words Hogwarts Express brightly written on it.

Up until now he hadn’t been able to believe any of it, he was going to wake up and he would be normal again, but no, it was real. He turned back to his mum and hugged her tightly. “Take care, my love” she whispered as she leaned down to kiss his forehead, tears threatening to spill. “I’m sure you’ll do amazing, son” his dad, well step-dad, said to him and pulled him into an embrace.

“I love you, and I promise I’ll write, I’ll miss you so much” Dean said one last time before he ran up to the train. It would be his first time away from home and while he would really miss his family, the promise of what was to come was enough for him to get on the train with a big smile on his face.

Dean walked along the train trying to find a cabin that wasn’t full, it was quite a bit of time before he found one. Inside were two twin girls who introduced themselves as Padma and Parvati, a blonde called Lavender, a boy, who he later learned was also muggle-born, named Justin and a very Irish boy who went by the name of Seamus.

“I’m Dean” he said, after everyone had finished introducing themselves, and took a seat next to the Irish boy. “I wonder what house we’ll be in” Parvati said, once everyone had settled in. “What do you mean?” Dean asked. Justin seemed equally confused, but the twins and Lavender gave him an odd look.

It was Seamus that finally answered, seemingly unbothered by his lack of understanding. “Ya see, Hogwarts is divided into four houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Ya get sorted according to what you are: brave, smart, loyal or ambitious.”

“Oh” was all Dean managed to choke out before the loud cries of anything from the trolley overtook and suddenly everyone was getting up and buying all sorts of sweets from the trolley. Dean didn’t think to bring money with him on the trolley, he barely even understood the currency conversion from pounds to galleons. Seamus, on the other hand, bought one of almost every sweet there was. Dean was a little bit bummed at not being able to eat any new wizard candy, but before he could dwell on it too much, Seamus extended his arm and with a smile on his face handed him a chocolate frog. "What's mine is yours" Seamus said. Dean had a feeling Seamus was going to be a really good friend.

The train ride to Hogwarts was particularly long, and before he had the chance to process everything he was already getting off the train. A very large man, almost a giant thought Dean, came up to and asked the first year students to follow him. The girls and Justin had hurried off after the giant Hagrid, so Dean and Seamus were left to trail behind them.

Once they got to the edge of the lake Hagrid instructed them to get on the boats, so they did. At the front of theirs was a ginger boy who introduced himself as Ron and next to him a blue eyed boy named Harry, behind them was a Neville, the boy who had come into their compartment looking for his lost frog.

Once they got to the castle, Dean felt a little overwhelmed and instinctively grabbed Seamus’s hand, they weren’t that close and Seamus could’ve just pulled his hand away, however he looked over and Dean and gave his hand a squeeze. They kept their hands linked until a teacher McGonagall received them and explained what Seamus had told him on the train. Harry, Ron and Neville were placed in Gryffindor with him and Seamus, as where Parvati and Lavender, but Padma was sorted into Ravenclaw and Justin into Hufflepuff.

Dinner was like nothing Dean had ever experienced, candles floating in the ceiling, goblets refilling themselves and food that never ran out. It was magical. Soon after, the prefect, another ginger boy who Dean was pretty certain was related to Ron in some form, led them all to the Gryffindor common room.

“Girls to the left, boys to the right” the prefect told them pointing to each stairwell, he kept talking about the rules but Dean felt the all energy he had slowly fade away. He was ready to go to bed and sleep for a week. “And don’t forget, you’re lessons start tomorrow” was the last thing the prefect said before all five Gryffindor boys were led into their room. Five beds placed equidistantly from one another with their trunks at the foot of it. Dean was glad to notice that his and Seamus’s beds were right next to each other. All five boys ran over to their beds, Harry, Ron and Seamus plopped on top of theirs while he and Neville opted to start unpacking before messing up their beds. Dean took out his West Ham poster and put it up on the wall right above his head.

“What’s that?” Seamus asked him from where he was laying on the bed “It’s my favourite football team” he explained. “What’s football?” Seamus asked him with a slight frown on his face, but before he could answer Ron was in his space “Why isn’t it moving?”

“Um because it’s not a magical poster?” Dean explained, though it sounded more like a question than an actual answer. Ron, however, just went up and started poking the poster move, move, move he said as if it would actually make the poster move. “Oi, Ron quit it” Harry admonished Ron. “I was raised a muggle as well” he told Dean, and he was so relieved. Seamus was great, but Ron and Neville were both pureblood and while they were really nice people, it was comforting to know that someone else like him was there.

Navigating around Hogwarts was much more complicated than Dean had expected, he didn’t like being late for class, but somehow a staircase was always changing and every corridor looked the same. Fortunately, Seamus was always by his side, one time on their way to class, the stairs decided to change path while they were still on it. The violent movement almost sent Seamus flying down the stairs, but Dean grabbed his hand and pulled him up before he could fall. “Thanks mate” Seamus said with a smile, and they didn’t let go of each other until they arrived to their Potions class. Somehow it became a thing, they wouldn’t always do it, but if the corridor was empty or if they were feeling scared or unsure, they just held hands.

It didn’t take long for Dean to realise that Seamus had a proclivity for blowing things up, at first it was the cauldron in Potions class, then the feather during professor Flitwick’s class, then it was the goblet during dinner, Dean had been to the Hospital Wing so many times he had lost count, every time though, he held Seamus’s hand while Madam Pomfrey regrew Seamus’s eyebrows and applied cream to his slightly singed faced.

“Back again, Mr Finnigan?” came Madam Pomfrey’s voice when she saw Dean leading Seamus into the infirmary and making sit down on a bed. Madam Pomfrey went to her medical cupboard and took out some anti burn cream and some regrowth potion. At this point, she should let Finnigan learn his lesson and regrow his burnt eyebrows on his own, but one look at the eleven year old kids holding hands and smiling at each other warmed her heart. With a wet cloth she cleaned the soot of Seamus’s face and made him drink the regrowth potion. “I imagine it would be easier for you to keep this instead of having to come here every time you blow something up, Mr Finningan” Madam Pomfrey said poignantly and handed over the small jar of cream over to Seamus.

It wasn’t until the Hallowe’en feast that they actually held hands in front of everyone else, it wasn’t on purpose, it was an instinctual reaction. Professor Quirrel had barged into the hall yelling about a troll, everyone started screaming and Seamus reached for Dean’s hand. Dumbledore had told them to calm down and follow their prefects back to their common rooms, and it wasn’t till they were safely back in their dormitory that they realised that they had held hands all they way there. Dean noticed that no one really cared, two boys holding hands wasn’t really common in the muggle world, but here he supposed people were a little more preoccupied with Harry and Ron saving Hermione from the troll.

As it turned out, Harry joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team so he and Seamus went with Neville, Ron and Hermione to cheer him on. Halfway through the match Harry’s broom went wild, causing him to very nearly fall. Dean wasn’t sure this was an appropriate game for children to be playing but Harry managed to regain control and Seamus was cheering him on very loudly in a very Seamus fashion. Dean could only smile as he looked as his friend and cheered along with him.

The rest of the year progressed without anymore incidents, well Seamus kept blowing things up and Dean kept going with him to the infirmary, but soon enough the year was coming to an end and Christmas was upon them. Dean was excited to see his parents and sisters, he missed them so much, but he got a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach at the idea of not seeing Seamus for an entire month. They hadn’t known each other that long, but still he felt as if they had been friends for all their lives.

Dean hugged Seamus one last time and headed over to his family who were waiting on the other side of the platform. Seamus was going to Ireland for Christmas but they promised to write to each other a lot.

“So, tell us, how was this magic school? Did you make a lot friends? Are you paying attention in class? Are you liking?” Mrs Thomas inquired, asking one question after the other. Mr Thomas on the other hand just held his son close.

“One question at a time mum” Dean said with a chuckle “Hogwarts is amazing, I absolutely love it! I have made a lot of friends, I’m in Gryffindor and so is Harry, Ron, Neville and Seamus” He said that last one with a small smile on his face. “And I’m doing great mum, Potions is not that fun, but I’m really good at Charms!”

“I’m proud of you Dean, but what exactly is a Gryffindor?” Mr Thomas asked. And Dean launched into a detailed explanation of the Hogwarts houses and the classes he was taking, he kept talking all the way home.

The Thomases were quite a large family with Dean being the oldest and having four younger sister, the house was never quiet. When Dean had been told about his magical heritage, it had been made very clear the dangers of exposing the wizarding world, so his parents had made the decision to not tell his sisters until they were old enough to be able to keep it a secret. So they, along with the rest of his extended family, thought that Dean had wanted to go to a boarding school in Scotland, so all magical conversation ended the second they went through the door.

Dean was treated by two of his sisters assaulting him in a bear hug, Samantha, at nine years of age was the eldest of the girls, followed by Amelia who was eight, Jess who was four and little Mary who was only a year old. Dean knew his biological father had left way before his first birthday, his mother never liked to lie about it, however John had made sure he knew he was just as much his son as Sam his daughter.

All in all Christmas was Dean’s favourite holiday, so he was very sad when the time came to head back to school. He had asked his mother a week before to take him shopping, he wanted to bring something back for Seamus, he couldn’t actually buy something before Christmas, because he was eleven and he couldn’t just leave Hogwarts whenever he he wished. It had taken a while, but finally after hours of wondering around London looking for something for Seamus, he came across a little wooden box, four-leafed clovers carved into the wood and coated with the most beautiful varnish finish. His mum was confused about his choice, but purchased it for him anyway. He ran up his room and took out his sketch book, he tore out a piece of paper and cut it into small pieces. On each one he drew a different picture, one where Seamus blew up a feather, another one with a melted cauldron, one where they were cheering for Harry at the first Quidditch match, one with all the Gryffindor boys sitting on a boat, drawing after drawing, mostly outlines of his favourite moments with Seamus, and finally he drew holding hands, but he couldn’t make himself put that in the box, so he folded it up and left it in his drawer.

With Seamus’s gift stored safely in his trunk, Dean joined his parents downstairs so they could head to King’s Cross together. It wasn’t that bad for Dean because he lived in London, however, he could imagine Seamus having to carry down his trunk all the way from Ireland to London. Crossing Platform 9 and 3/4 was not as terrifying this time, but he still felt the slight fear that it was all a dream and it would all come crashing down the moment he hit the wall. Seeing Seamus for the first time in a month brought the feeling of butterflies in his tummy, it was weird, Dean had had friends all his life, but none made him feel like this, it’s probably what having a best friend felt like.

Leaving his parents trailing behind him, Dean ran towards the tiny Irish boy. Seamus saw him and ran to meet him half way, they embraced for longer than was probably normal but they didn’t really care. Mrs Finnigan and Mrs Thomas slowly made their way towards their tangled sons lugging the trunks with them, Mr Thomas helping with Dean’s. “Mam, this is Dean, he’s my best friend” Seamus said, pulling back from the hug.

“Mum, dad, this is Seamus” Dean introduced him to his parents. “It’s lovely to meet you, Seamus, Dean’s done nothing but talk about you for the past month” Mrs Thomas said with a huge grin, while Mr Thomas just smiled. “I can tell you Seamus has been the same” Mrs Finnigan added with a thick Irish accent.

They both said goodbye to their parents, who they could tell were going to keep chatting after they left, and got onto the train back to Hogwarts. Apparently, Ron and Harry had stayed in Hogwarts so Hermione and Neville came to sit with them, and they were later joined by Justin and a Slytherin girl, Tracey Davis. “I love me family, I really do, but I could do without my cousin Fergus” Seamus said. “I’m really glad I went home, I’ve really missed my parents, and it’s only just us three” Hermione piped in. “You’re so lucky, my mum is a witch, but my dad is a muggle, so family reunions are so difficult” Tracey said, she and Justin had become really good friends, after they had gotten paired together in their charms class. At first he had thought the Slytherin students weren’t that nice, but now he was starting to believe it was just Harry’s weird rivalry with Malfoy and his crew.

The rest of the train ride to Hogwarts was spent in amicable chatter, but once they got to Hogwarts Dean raced Seamus up to their dorm. Fortunately, Harry and Ron where no where to be found and Neville got caught up talking to Justin and Tracey and probably wasn’t going to be around for a while. Dean took out the present he had gotten for Seamus and carefully unwrapped the cloth he had used to protect it.

“I know Christmas is over, but I saw this in the shop the other day and thought of you” Dean said, trying really hard to hide his blush. He handed over the box and Seamus looked at it in awe. “Dean you really didn’t have to do this, but it is beautiful. Thank you” Seamus didn’t open the box, instead he placed it gently on his bed and turned to open his trunk.

“Merry Christmas, Dean” Seamus said and handed over a sloppily wrapped present. Dean smiled and carefully unwrapped it to reveal a sketch pad. “It’s enchanted,” Seamus informed him “anything you draw will move, kind of like the posters”. Inside however, was a badly drawn stick figure rendition of Dean and Seamus, holding hands. The stick figures waved at him and Dean was unable to hide his smile.

“Thanks, Shay, this is perfect” Dean said and hugged his friend. “Merry Christmas.”

Surprisingly, they rest of the school year progressed pretty much like the first half of it, Seamus kept blowing up anything in front of him, especially in potions class, they went to all the Quidditch matches where Gryffindor was playing, they spent every moment possible together. Everything was going great, Harry, Ron and Hermione kept losing them points every so often and Seamus would get annoyed by it but Dean wasn’t particularly competitive, nor was he very invested in winning the house cup.

It wasn’t until the end of the year that things went all wrong, on the morning of one of the last days, Dean and Seamus woke up to find all three of their roommates missing, they looked at each other and ran down to the common room. On the floor, completely petrified, was Neville, they panicked and Dean bent down to tell Neville it was going to be all right, while Seamus went to go find McGonagall. “Neville, stay calm, everything is going to be alright” Dean said, panic evident in his voice. “Seamus went to get McGonagall and everything will be all right”

“What in heaven’s name is going on?” Professor McGonagall asked “Oh dear” she took her wand out and pointed it at Neville, Dean took a few steps back.

“Finite incantatem” a second later Neville was moving again and words just spilled from his mouth “They were sneaking off again, and I didn’t want to lose even more points, but Hermione cursed me and they left professor, I’m sorry”

“Longbottom, it’s quite alright, there is nothing to apologize for. But if you are feeling alright, I must go see professor Dumbledore at once” and with that she left the three of them.

“Neville are you alright?” Dean asked him “Yeah, I’m sorry I couldn’t stop them though” Neville replied crestfallen.

As it turned out, Professor Quirrel, their DADA teacher was actually Voldemort, who Dean learnt was a very dark wizard, and Harry, Ron and Hermione had actually managed to defeat them, and along with Neville’s courageous actions, they managed to win the house cup for the first time in years. Dean was pretty sure Dumbledore had given out way to many points, but hey they had won so he was going to celebrate. Going back home was going to be harder than Dean imaging, somehow he had managed to befriend the best person in the world and he wasn’t sure he wanted to let go yet.

The train ride back to London was different, everyone around them was excited for summer, and so was he, but he wasn’t looking forward to not being able to see his best friend for so long, they had also been warned against using magic outside of school. He had spent all his life without magic, but now spending even one day without it seemed impossible. Seamus was as usual talking loudly with everyone else, but hidden beneath their robes, he was securely holding Dean’s hand in his.

This would be an interesting summer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to note that English is not my first language so I apologize for any mistakes. Also I really tried to stay as canon compliant as possible, but because the Harry Potter books are from his point of view I believe I can take some creative license because he was really biased.  
> Even though I'm a Ravenclaw I totally think that Slytherins are very misunderstood and misrepresented so I probably won't write Slytherins as the bad guys, even if it means not complying to everything JK wrote.  
> Please feel free to leave comments, I love reading them!


	2. I don't mind the company

Seamus was close to his mam, that was no secret, he was raised a wizard, therefor homeschooled by his mother until he was old enough to go to Hogwarts last year. He was never very interested in school and homework, like everyone else he wanted to learn spells and charms and potions, but school evoked the same feeling to both wizards and muggles. So when Seamus found himself impatient to go back to school, his mam immediately knew his newfound friend Dean had something to do with it.

Ireland is a well known Catholic country, and Mrs. Finnigan was very traditional in a lot of ways, but she also loved her son more than anything in the world. Seamus was into all the _boy things,_ like any other twelve year old boy, he loved Quidditch, flying around, playing with other kids, nothing about him screamed different. But Mrs. Finnigan knew her son, when Fergus and Seamus had been but wee lads, Fergus had noted how pretty Siobhan, the neighbour’s daughter, was but Seamus, her baby boy had replied with _“But mama, Connor is pretty too, right?”_ She had been shocked at first, he was a child, he wouldn’t know any better, but soon after she vowed she would make sure Seamus always knew he was loved, no matter who he chose to love.

“Seamus, could you come ‘ere, love, just for a bit” she called out to her son. She had always tried to make it known she would love him regardless of anything, but she also knew that without someone outright telling him it’s ok, he had no way else of learning.

“Mam? Everything ok?” Seamus said, slightly breathless from running back to the house. Living in Ireland gave him the opportunity to wander around the beautiful fields of grass as long as he wanted.

“You’re leaving in a few days, but before that I wanted to talk to you” She started, Seamus looked confused, but as awkward as this might be it was necessary. “You know how your cousin Fergus has a girlfriend now? Well, you’re a bit to young to be in a relationship now, but it’s always important to discuss this openly” 

“Mam, please don-” Seamus tried to interrupt, he knew where this was going, he didn’t feel like now was the best moment to tell his mum he wasn’t interested in girls, that he maybe never would. But the stern look she gave him was enough to silence his protests.

“Shay, I just want you to know, in case you ever feel different, or maybe you never will, but you might have friends that do. And it’s important for you to understand that it’s ok. It’s ok to like girls, it’s ok to like boys too. It’s okay if you like both or neither. Whoever you decide to love I want you to know that it won’t change the way I or your father feel about you, we love you unconditionally.” She wasn’t sure what she expected, but the look in her son’s eyes broke her a tiny bit, the fear slowing turning to understanding to gratitude and finally love. 

Seamus got up and hugged his mother, he didn’t want to ever let go, tears started welling up and he tried to contain them but eventually they burst through. At twelve, Seamus knew he was different, he knew he was going to have to hide it, this was the 90’s but still the world wasn’t ready for people like him. He knew his mother loved him, but he never imagined she would accept him unconditionally. “I love you” he whispered, voice rough. It was a while until he was able to let go.

 

This year, the Thomases and the Finnigans had agreed to do their school supply shopping together, mainly because it gave the boys a chance to spend a little while together before the actual start of school. They had tried to get their parents to agree to let them visit each other, but alas they hadn’t succeeded, so they had to keep in touch with owls. Mr Finnigan had offered to teach Seamus how to use a telephone, so he and Dean could talk with each other, much to the delight of Dean and horror once his parents saw the phone bill. So they kept the phone calls restricted to no more than an hour a week.

Once in Diagon Alley the boys headed straight for the bookshop were they met the rest of their Gryffindor house mates sans Neville and the girls. They met their new DADA teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart, but neither of them were to convinced of his greatness and kept going through the last as fast as possible. With everything sorted, both families decided to get dinner at a muggle restaurant in London.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love Dean and all this magical stuff, but it can be a bit overwhelming at times. I swear I saw a flying ball at the broom shop!” Mrs Thomas said. “I know exactly what you mean, the misses here didn’t tell me she was a witch until after we were married” Mr Finnigan said pointing to his wife, barely concealing his loving smile. 

The grown up were chatting but it was easy for Seamus and Dean to ignore them and start a conversation of their own. “I’m not sure if out parents getting along is a good thing or a bad thing” Seamus whispered “Why would it be a bad thing?” Dean asked while chewing a mouthful of pasta. “Well, I’m not sure yet” Seamus replied but went back to his food. 

 

Seamus and Dean rushed to get a good seat on the train, they found a nearly empty one with just Neville and Hermione inside and joined them. “Where’s Harry and Ron?” Dean asked. “I have no idea, honestly it’s just like them to always be late” Hermione responded.

A knock on the door interrupted them and a ginger girl, probably a first year, poked her head in “Do you mind if I sit with you guys?” she asked. “Not at all. Boys this is Ginny, Ron’s sister. Ginny these are Neville, Dean and Seamus” Hermione introduced them while Ginny waved, she then continued “Speaking of your brother, where is he? And Harry? The train is about to leave!”

“I’m not sure, they were right behind us, Fred, George and Percy managed to get on the train though” just as she was finishing her sentence the train lurched forward.

 

Turns out Harry and Ron had stolen Ron’s dad’s magic flying car, got seen by a lot of muggles, crashed into the Whomping Willow, and lost Gryffindor a lot of points, _on the first day._ On the plus side, they got to see Ron get yelled out by an angry letter. _“It’s a Howler”_ Seamus explained to Dean. 

 

Their first lesson of the day was Herbology, a class they shared with the Hufflepuffs, so Dean, Seamus and Neville got to see Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones and Justin Finch-Fletchley. They were supposed to be working with Mandrakes, and it was alright until Neville fainted and Justin had to help him to the infirmary. Transfiguration went better than expected, at least Seamus hadn’t blown anything up and Dean was sat next to him all class. 

It wasn’t until Professor Lockhart’s class that things went sideways, if they weren’t convinced about Lockhart before, they were sure he was a fraud now. Seamus had mistakenly asked him if the pixies were dangerous and Lockhart responded by letting them free. Seamus grabbed Dean’s hand and made a run for the door.

“He’s mad, he is” Seamus all but yelled, without letting go of Dean “You’ve got to admit that was kind of funny” Dean answered with a chuckle.

“Funny? We could have gotten hurt!” He exclaimed. “D’you reckon we should go help the others with the clean up then?” Dean asked him. “Nah, I say we get out of here” Seamus pulled him away. They stopped by the dorms to get Dean’s sketch book, but then headed down to the lake.

Dean wasn’t much of a talker, but Seamus was great at filling up the silence. Dean loved to hear Seamus talk, and Seamus didn’t mind that Dean would sometimes stay completely silent, they fit together perfectly. 

Seamus laid down on the grass content with just talking and talking, Dean on the other hand started sketching the lake. A couple of hours passed and the two of the realized that dinner was getting closer and they should head back to the castle. Dean wasn’t sure when he stopped drawing the lake and when he started to draw Seamus, but he quickly shut his pad before his friend could see what he had drawn.

 

“Hey Shay, can I ask you a question?” Dean asked one afternoon when it was just them in the common room “‘Course” Seamus answered without looking up from his homework.

Dean never felt bad asking Seamus about wizard things he didn’t understand, Seamus would never judge him, he would just answer his questions without making a big deal, but he felt that this might be different. “What does mud blood mean?” 

That got a reaction out of Seamus “Who said that to you?” he asked forcefully. “No one, I swear, I heard a couple of Slytherins talking and one used the word, but the other one told him that if she ever heard him talk like that again, they couldn’t be friends. I’m assuming it’s not good?” Dean tried.

Seamus sighed, “It’s a foul way to refer to someone who is muggle-born, someone who comes from non-magical parents. It’s disgusting and racist” he said with conviction. Dean nodded and went back to his drawing, but it was a little harder for Seamus to ignore.

 

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE. Someone had written it on the wall in blood. “You’ll be next, mudbloods” Malfoy yelled, the air left Seamus’s lungs immediately, so he reached out for Dean’s hand in an attempt to calm himself down and reassure Dean everything would be alright.

It wasn’t alright, Salazar Slytherin didn’t think muggle-borns should be in the school, so he set a monster loose in the castle so it could go along murdering innocent children. Seamus did not hate Slytherins, but right now it was the only thing he was capable of feeling towards them.

“Shay, you can’t condemn all for the actions of one, you have to know that” Dean told him. “I know, I know but I’m just worried about you, is all” Seamus said. 

A student was petrified, Seamus couldn’t believe it, it was true, the Chamber of Secrets had been opened. Thing is Seamus knew he was alright, the creature always went after muggle-borns and he was not muggle-born, but Dean was. So he did the only thing he could think of, he never left Dean’s side, he could tell it was starting to annoy his friend, but he would rather have a pissed off Dean than a dead one.

“Seamus, I can go to the bathroom alone” Dean gritted through his teeth. “I know but I need to brush my teeth so we might as well go together” Seamus replied, grabbing his toothbrush and waiting for Dean to move. “I’m so sick of this Seamus, I’m not a child. Just leave me alone” the second the words left his mouth Dean regretted it, but the damage was done and the hurt look on Seamus’s face told him all he needed to know. 

 

Seamus was conflicted, on one hand his friend had basically told him to get lost, on the other he was still worried something could happen to him if he left him alone. A week after their ‘disagreement’ Lockhart started his _Duelling Club_ and Seamus had been partnered with Ron. He wasn’t scared that Ron could actually hurt him, it was the broken wand that gave Seamus some uneasiness. “Are you sure it’s safe Ron?” He asked. “Will you quit your whining I’m not going to actually hurt you” Famous last words.

They were supposed to be doing simple hexes, but somehow Ron’s wand malfunctioned sending Seamus to the ground, pain erupted everywhere and his skin felt like it was on fire. Seamus screamed out and Ron started apologizing profusely, but Dean was at his side in seconds, asking him what was wrong and glaring at Ron.

 

“And what have you managed to explode now, Mr Finn-” Madam Pomfrey wasn’t able to finish her sentenced before she realized something was very wrong with Seamus. “Lay him down on one of the beds Mr Thomas” She looked at him and retrieved some soothing gel from the medical cabinet “This is stinging hex gone wrong, Mr Thomas I’m going to need you to hold down Mr Finningan while I apply this. He should be fine in a couple of hours.”

Dean struggled to keep Seamus still, he was twisting and turning obviously in pain. “It hurts so much” came Seamus’s cries.

The pain was starting to recede, as Madam Pomfrey made quick work of spreading the cool gel all over his body, Seamus registered his friend’s hand, holding his firmly. Dean was whispering chants of _you’re fine, you’re going to be all right, don’t worry Seamus_ into his ear.

“Alright Mr Finnigan, you shouldn’t be too uncomfortable now, but the sensation will stop in a few hours. Mr Thomas you may stay until your friend is all better.” She said and left the two boys. 

“I’m sorry I was being to overprotective” Seamus started “I don’t like fighting with you”. Dean nodded “I’m sorry too, I just felt you thought I was useless and I’m not, I don’t like fighting either.” After debating it for a few seconds, Dean stood up from the chair beside the bed and quickly got into the bed, careful not to further injure Seamus or get any of the gooey gel on himself.

“I was just scared the creature would get you, I’m sorry, I promise I won’t follow you everywhere anymore” Seamus told him, adjusting his position so he could look at Dean properly. “No” Dean interjected, “it turns out I don’t mind the company” he said with a smile.

 

While Seamus had been at the infirmary with Dean, the duels had kept going and Harry had revealed his ability to talk to snakes, _of course he did_. Apparently he had made it go after Justin, but Harry said that wasn’t true. Seamus was sure Harry wasn’t trying to hurt Justin, but they were both his friends, so he would talk to Justin later.

“So, what to reckon happened? I don’t think Harry would actually try to hurt Justin, I mean we was raised as a muggle too, so why would he dislike muggle-borns, right?” Seamus told Dean on their way to class. “This is Harry we’re talking about, I doubt he could actually hurt anyone” Dean responded. But before Seamus could get another word Peeves went around the castle announcing another student had been petrified. 

The two boys ran to the corridor where Peeves said the boy was at, Seamus didn’t want to believe it but right next to a petrified Justin and nearly-headless Nick was Harry. Harry looked up and saw them but Seamus only managed a betrayed expression, he grabbed Dean and ran back to their dorm.

“It has to be a coincidence, Harry would never willingly hurt someone, you said so yourself” Dean tried to reason with Seamus. “Yes, well it’s quite a coincidence don’t you think? Besides, I’m not saying he’s the heir of Slytherin, I’m just saying we should be more careful around him, that’s all” 

As if summoned, Ron and Harry came into the room, followed closely by Neville. “You guys have to believe I’m innocent. I swear I didn’t do anything to Justin” Harry said. “We do believe you” Dean told him, Neville nodded, but Seamus just stayed silent.

Everyone was asleep but Seamus couldn’t, he kept thinking about Harry, he didn’t want to believe he would hurt anyone, but everything was to coincidental. Seamus quietly got out of bed, drew back the curtains from Dean’s bed and poked his head in, to his surprise Dean was still awake. He looked over at Seamus and shuffled until there was enough space for both of them. They didn’t say a word when Seamus climbed in, they just settled comfortable against each other and fell asleep.

It became a habit after that, they would wait until the rest of the Gryffindor boys to fall asleep and Seamus would climb into bed with Dean, Seamus thought Harry wouldn’t hurt Dean if he was there and Dean just felt safer, he didn’t think Harry would hurt him, but he didn’t know if the creature could hurt him while asleep, so having Seamus next to him was a great comfort.

 

Christmas break came quickly and soon enough both boys were heading back to their homes, Seamus wasn’t a huge Christmas fan, his mother’s family usually came to spend the holidays with them and that usually meant the arrival of his dreaded cousin Fergus. Fergus wasn’t a bad person, he just annoyed Seamus to no end, he would apparate in and out of Seamus reach and torment him constantly. He couldn’t wait until he passed his test and was able to get back at him.

“Mam, you know how you always say that wizards are not better than muggles, and that we should not discriminate between blood status?” Seamus wasn’t sure how to start the conversation, but this seemed like a good way.

“Did something happen, love?” she asked. “Have you heard about the Chamber of secrets?” Seamus asked his mother. 

“There were rumours about it when I was a student, but that’s all they are honey” she told him. “Two muggle-borns were petrified, a first year from Gryffindor and Justin. They think Harry did it because he’s a parselmouth, but I don’t think he’s capable of it. I’m scared ma, what if this thing gets Dean?” So that’s what it was about, he was worried about his friend. Mrs Finnigan was little worried about sending Seamus back to the school when children were getting petrified, but deep down she knew her soon was not in any real danger, he wasn’t muggle-born, and she also knew Seamus would never forgive him if she didn’t let him return and Dean got hurt.

“Well Shay, I’m sure he will be just fine, specially if he has you looking out for him” she said and kissed the top of his head and that put an end to the conversation. Christmas went by in a blur and Seamus found himself back on the train to Hogwarts with Dean by his side. 

 

Valentine’s day was not something Seamus thought he would have to worry about at this age, he was twelve, but Professor Lockhart had managed to decorate the great hall and and get these annoying dwarves to sing to the students to “boost morale” but honestly they ended up being more of a nuisance than anything. 

“Did you hear? Harry got loads of singing dwarves, apparently Ron’s sister give him one as well!” Dean told him on their way back to the common room. Oh god did he want one? Should Seamus have sent him one? “Yeah I saw, but honestly I thought it was more annoying than romantic” Seamus responded. “Couldn’t agree with you more, mate.” Oh good he was safe.

 

Just as Seamus was starting to feel confident, Hermione Granger was petrified along with a Ravenclaw student. Any lingering thoughts that Harry was the one who was going after muggle-borns vanished. He knew Harry was close to Hermione, almost as close as he and Dean were, there was no way Harry could be behind all of this. 

 

Hagrid was blamed for all of it, Seamus wasn’t very close to the half-giant but it still came as a surprise for him when he was arrested. But Madam Pomfrey and Professor Sprout were working on a drought to cure the petrified, it should be ready in a few days. Which was exactly why Ginny Weasley got taken, they could never have a win could they? That night Harry and Ron never made it to the dorm.

“Where do you reckon they are?” Neville asked. “Ron’s sister was the one that was taken, I bet they went looking for her. We are talking about the boys that went up against Voldemort last year” Dean said. Seamus was sitting next to him on the bed, “don’t forget about the three-headed dog, and the life-sized chess” he said, “but to be fair, they did have Hermione with them, she’s the smartest witch in the year.” The atmosphere grew somber. “I’m sure they’ll be fine, we should go to bed” Dean said and drew the curtains around his bed, they could hear Neville adjusting his own curtains.

They settled down next to each other and were drifting of to sleep when they heard more shuffling, suddenly Neville’s head popped in, “would you mind if I-” but before Neville could finish his sentence, they boys were shuffling closer making enough room for the three of them on Dean’s small bed.

The next morning brought the news that Harry and Ron had found the Chamber of Secrets, rescued Ginny Weasley and killed the monster, which as it turns out was a huge snake. McGonagall can say very few things surprise her anymore, but walking into the second year boys dormitory to find the three remaining boys in a pile of limbs on a single bed brought her back to when her former students Sirius and James had piled on top of Remus after a particularly bad night, so with a smile on her face she closed the door. The boys would hear the news at breakfast anyways.

“I told you it would be alright” Dean said to Seamus that morning at breakfast. “I never said you wouldn’t be I was just making sure you were never alone, I care ok?” Seamus retorted. They were smiling at each other when Dumbledore announced that Hagrid was clear of all charges and would be coming back to Hogwarts as Keeper of Keys. The whole hall erupted in cheers and applause as he walked up to the table.  

Two years, they had finished their second year at Hogwarts, but once again they had to split to go to their respective homes. Seamus didn’t want to let Dean go, he had grown accustomed to having the other boy with him all the time.

He had grown up as a single child, never having to share, never having someone to rely on, and now he had Dean. He never thought he would become so emotionally attached to someone else, but now that he had he didn’t want to be apart anymore. Sure they could write to each other, and call each other on the telephone, but it wasn’t the same as seeing each other every day. Seamus would make sure his mam let him visit Dean, or at least let Dean come over for a week. 

The ride back to London was fun, they shared a compartment with Justin and Tracey. “I apologized to Harry, I shouldn’t have accused him of being the heir” Justin told them. “Well if it makes you feel better, for a second we thought he was doing it too” Seamus reassured him, but Dean spoke up. “Hey, speak for yourself, I never doubted Harry” he said with a chuckle. 

“The Slytherins were just as confused as you guys, half of them were kind of mad that Harry was the heir of Slytherin and not an actual Slytherin, while the other half were just trying to protect their muggle-born friends. There was a little group of idiots that thought it would be funny to torment a first year muggle-born Slytherin girl, but the older kids put a stop to it immediately” Tracey told them. 

The conversation took another turn and they ended up discussing their electives for third year, Seamus wanted to take Divination and Muggle Studies while Dean wanted Care of Magical Creatures and Study of Ancient Runes. They ended up compromising and decided to take Divination and Care of Magical Creatures. Justin and Tracey on the other hand opted for Arithmancy and Study of Ancient Runes. It seemed like such a short time had passed and they were already in London.

They said goodbye to their friends and Seamus enveloped Dean in a hug, neither wanted to let go, but they knew they had to. Seamus grabbed his trunk and headed to where his mother was waiting for him. 

It was going to be a long summer.


	3. So this is love

“Please, mum, just a week, please?” Dean had been begging his parents all summer to let Seamus spend the last week of summer with them. “What did your father say?” She asked him. “He said it was fine as long as you said it was ok, just please mum, I’ll never ask for anything ever again.” Dean said, he’d said that about three different things this past month, but that wasn’t the point. “Uh huh” she said unconvincingly, “if Seamus’s parents agree, then alright” she gave in, there was nothing Dean could ask that she would say no to. “Thanks mum, you’re the best” Dean said and ran to the telephone.

It had been such a relief when Seamus’s dad had showed him how to use one, owls and letters were cool, but there was nothing like being able to talk on the phone. “She said yes, how is it going on your end?” Dean asked before Seamus could even say hello. “I’m assuming you want to talk to Seamus? I had said yes, but I was under the impression that your parents had already approved this” came Mrs Finnigan’s voice from the other end of the line. “Oops” was all that Dean managed to say. “Oops, indeed, it’s fine but I’ll be having a conversation with Seamus here before he leaves” 

“What did you say to me mam?” Seamus said “I’m sorry, I said my mum had said yes and I asked you if yours had too, but I didn’t know she was going to answer! She never picks up the phone!” Dean said quickly. In the end Mrs Finnigan had told Seamus of for lying _I wasn’t lying, it was a predicted truth_ he said, but Seamus was allowed to come spend the last week before the start of term with Dean and then together they would go pick up their school supplies at Diagon Alley.

It was the best week of Dean’s life, when Seamus arrived they dumped his stuff in Dean’s bedroom and set out to explore muggle London. Camden Market was on of Dean’s favourite places, it was so busy and bright, it was very easy to go unnoticed. Seamus struggled a bit with muggle money so Dean was put in charge of it. 

They walked hand in hand along the River Thames, Dean was pointing to his favourite spots and answering all of Seamus’s questions on muggles. On Seamus’s last day, Dean decided he wanted to do something special, so they want on a walk, finally, after Seamus asked where they were going for the millionth time, they arrived to the London eye, despite living in London for so long, Dean had never actually gone on it.

“Come on, I asked my mum for tickets for my birthday, it would have sucked if your mum hadn’t let you come” Dean said and pulled Seamus with him towards the ticket hall. “What is this?” Seamus asked voiced filled with awe as he looked up at the glass capsules.

“It’s the London Eye, it goes round and you get the best view of London from above, it’s magical” Dean told him with a hint of amusement. The ticket man took the tickets from Dean’s hand and raised an eyebrow, but thankfully didn’t say anything.

It was unusually calm that evening so there were only about ten other people in the huge capsule so Dean and Seamus took one corner just to themselves and looked out. The sun was just starting to set giving the illusion that everything was glowing a soft pink hue.

Dean had never kissed anyone, he’d never really had the opportunity. But now at the top of the Eye, with the most beautiful view in London, he found himself unable to take his eyes of Seamus. The last remnants of the sun reflecting off of Seamus’s pale, freckled face, Dean had never kissed anyone, but he had never wanted to so as much as he did in that moment.

Maybe it was the light, maybe it was something in the air or maybe it was the fact the Dean really wanted to, but he leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to the corner of Seamus’s mouth. It could hardly be called a kiss, it was barely a brush of lips, but Dean’s heart was beating in his chest like it was about to break out. It seemed like hours passed before Seamus reacted, when in reality it couldn’t have been more than a couple of seconds, but Seamus turned towards  him with the biggest smile in the world.

They didn’t talk, Seamus just held Dean’s hand tighter and turned back to admire the view. Dean wasn’t sure if he was disappointed or not, did he want a declaration of love? Did he think this would lead to hours and hours of snogging? He was 13, he wasn’t even sure if he ready to be snogging yet, if he wanted to snog a boy, he didn’t know if his parents were alright with him liking a boy, and suddenly everything felt like it had been a terrible idea.

“Calm down, I can hear you thinking from here” Seamus whispered, lips grazing against his ear in a manner that wasn’t completely necessary. The descent was spent in silence,  for once Seamus loved the quiet, and Dean longed for talking.

“Shay, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that” Dean said quietly as they walked back to the underground station. A hurt look appeared on Seamus’s face “you didn’t want to kiss me?” He asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

“No, I mean yes, yes I wanted to kiss you, more than anything, but I don’t think I’m ready for anything else” Dean told him, he was waiting for Seamus to tell him to piss off but when he looked at his friend Seamus was smiling, “Dean, I don’t think I’m ready for anything more either but for the record? I really wanted to kiss you too. How about we just stay Dean and Seamus, nothing has to change, we can just be us” Seamus told him, and Dean felt like a huge weight had been lifted of his shoulders.

 

The next morning, Dean and Seamus were ready to go. While the Thomases had agreed that the boys were old enough to go shopping by themselves, they still wanted to accompany them to the Leaky Cauldron. Samantha, Dean’s oldest sister, was now eleven and her parents trusted her to be able to keep the secret, so she was allowed to accompany them to drop the boys off.

“I’m assuming you haven’t told your parents about Sirius Black?” Seamus said quietly while he and Dean packed the last of their stuff, making sure their Hogsmeade permission slips were securely inside their trunk. Dean just glared at him with no real heat behind it. “Jus’ checking” Seamus responded with a grin.

 

The boys met up with Neville on the other side of the wall outside of the Leaky Cauldron and all three of them went to look for their supplies together. “How was you summer Neville?” Dean asked in lieu of a proper greeting. “Same as always” he answered with a grimace.

“Well come on then, let’s go get our books” Seamus said already heading off towards the bookshop. It didn’t take them long to get what they needed so with the extra time they decided to go to the Quidditch supply shop, apparently a new model had come out the _firebolt._ Unsurprisingly, Harry was also at the shop, none of them were actually going to but anything so after drooling for a while, Dean asked Harry if he wanted to go with them to King’s Cross. Harry politely declined, more likely going off to find Hermione and Ron. 

The three boy were making their way to said station when they bumped into Lavender and the Patil twins who decided to join them. They sat together in a compartment, excluding Padma who opted instead to ride with her fellow Ravenclaw friends.

“Lav, what did you get up to this summer?” Seamus asked her, some time ago, Lavender’s mum and Seamus’s mum had been really good friends during their time at Hogwarts, they didn’t see each other regularly, but often in enough that Lavender and Seamus had become friends throughout their childhood years.

“Remember my cousin Elizabeth? I think you met her when we were eight, well my mum thought it would be a good idea if I spent the summer with her. It was absolutely dreadful” Seamus started laughing, but Dean was cataloging the information to ask Seamus about it later. Suddenly the train came to a halt and everything turned cold. Dean instinctively moved closer to Seamus while Neville stepped out of the carriage to try and figure out what could have happened. The rest of them didn’t move. A few moments later the carriage started moving again, but it took a while longer for Neville to come back. “You guys won’t believe what just happened” Neville said as he reentered.

 

Honestly, Dean didn’t understand what the deal was with Harry and Malfoy, Harry said Slytherins were just impossible to deal with, but Dean knew a lot of Slytherins, he was friends with quite a few, but Harry and Malfoy just seemed to get on each others nerves more than what he considered normal. So he really wasn’t surprised when word about what happened on the train got around and Malfoy and his friends started mocking Harry.

Seamus really wanted to take divination, but why was an absolute mystery to Dean. When they got there for their first lesson, Professor Trelawney made them read teacups. _Teacups._ But well, it was Seamus’s decision so he guessed they would have to stick with it. Plus Lavender, Neville, and Parvati were taking it as well, so their friends were there too.

They had Transfiguration and Care of Magical Creatures after that, then study hall, followed shortly by dinner. They had transfiguration every year so it wasn’t that exciting, but this was their first year taking Care of Magical Creatures, and Hagrid was teaching it, Dean had always gotten on with him.

Dean liked Hagrid, he really did, but a giant flying feathered horse was not exactly what he was expecting on his first day. “Hagrid, what exactly is that?” Ron asked. “That Ron is a Hippogriff, the thing you want to know about hippogriffs is that they’re very proud creatures. Very easily offended. You do not want to insult one, it may just be the last thing you ever do.” Hagrid explained. “Now, who wants to come and say hello?”

Everyone took a step back, except Harry, Hagrid went on explaining how to approach a hippogriff and what not to do around one. Buckbeak started acting up and Seamus pressed against Dean, Harry neared the creature and as in pecked at him Dean reached out for Seamus’s hand, he could see Hermione doing the same to Ron. Well, he should have seen that one coming. One second Harry was petting Buckbeak and the next he was setting of into the sunset on the back of him.

“That was amazing” Seamus said, head still pointed at the sky trying to see if he could follow Harry with his gaze. A few moments later Harry appeared again and landed swiftly on the ground. But Malfoy just couldn’t have it could he, “You’re not dangerous at all, are you? You brute!” Hagrid tried to keep Malfoy away, but it was too late, Buckbeak reared up and slashed Draco’s arm. Everything went crazy as the students ducked for cover. “Calm down, it’s just a scratch” Dean heard Hagrid say, but he saw Hagrid pick up a moaning Malfoy and take him to the infirmary.

“Well that went well” Seamus said as they were heading back to the castle. “To be fair, Hagrid did warn us, it’s Malfoy’s fault he got attacked” Neville said from Seamus’s other side. “I never said it wasn’t, but this is Malfoy we’re talking about, his father is going to do something against Hagrid” Seamus responded.

“Malfoy’s an arse, that’s not news, but maybe we can talk to Dumbledore, get the story straight?” Dean suggested. “That’s actually not a bad a idea” Neville said, “we should do that!”

“How long, do you reckon, until Hermione and Ron become a thing?” Seamus asked, changing the subject. “That would mean Ron had to take his head out of his arse long enough for him to actually realise that Hermione fancies him” Neville said. “And that he fancies her back” Dean retorted. The three of them made their way back to the castle placing bets on how long it was going to take their fellow Gryffindors to get together.

 

Defense against the Dark Arts, he never thought it would be one of his favourite classes, but here they were. First year, with Quirrel, had been kind of boring, in their second year they had Lockhart, who turned out to be a phony. Professor Lupin, however, seemed like a nice person and he was one hell of a professor.

“What of you think we’re doing today?” Seamus whispered in Dean’s ear as they walked to their DADA class. “The syllabus said something about Boggarts, but I have no clue what they are,” Dean whispered back.

Boggarts were shape-shifting non being that took up the form of what you feared the most. _Charming_. Dean wasn’t sure what would appear in front of him, but the second the boggart changed shape he realized it could never be anything else. When Dean was seven, him and his older cousin Gordon had sneaked downstairs to watch a movie. They were both too young to be watching horror movies, but Gordon’s friend from school had watched The Hand with his older brother, and Gordon didn’t want his friend to feel more important because of it. So they put the movie on the VHS player and made the biggest mistake of their short lives and watched it. They weren’t even half way through the movie when their terrified screams woke up their parents. Gordon was grounded for a month, being the eldest and “most responsible” he shouldn’t have allowed it to happen. As for Dean, not being able to sleep alone for the better part of three years was punishment enough. He had shared a room with Sam until he was ten. 

“Riddikulus” Dean said, wand pointed at the approaching hand. The feeling of terror turned into laughter as the hand got caught in a mouse trap, and suddenly he didn’t feel so scared anymore.

“Well done, mate” Seamus said and patted him on the back “Yeah Dean, that was amazing” Neville piped up.

“Mr Finnigan, off you go” Professor Lupin said and released the boggart once more. A greenish looking woman with floor-length, black hair appeared before him, Dean was about to ask what it was until she opened her mouth and a piercing scream came out. Everyone covered their ears but Seamus managed to cast the spell and the voice was ripped out of her throat, leaving her looking frankly ridiculous. 

“Snape, Neville, really?” Seamus asked him as the left the classroom, “Hey, he’s scarier than a walking hand!” He retorted. “You don’t understand, I have never been more terrified than when I watched The Hand. My stupid cousin made me” Dean said. “Cousins suck” Seamus said at the same time Neville muttered “Your cousin made you watch a hand?” 

“The movie, it’s like a moving picture. Ok, no, it’s like, you know what I’ll just have to show you. But we are not watching The Hand” Dean said. 

“The Hand? The horror movie?” Justin appeared out of nowhere, Tracey tagged along beside him. “You’ve seen it?” Dean asked. “Yes, well only a bit, I couldn’t keep watching it,” he told Dean, “how are you going to watch it?”

“We aren’t, never again, but I don’t know yet” Dean answered truthfully, he had no idea how he was going to get a TV and VHS player to Hogwarts and much less make them work. “I heard some of the older Slytherins talking, you can take the Floo Network to a muggle town near Hogsmeade. I can ask for the specific details if you want” Tracey said. “Trace, you’re a genius. Ok, so it’s us five and who else, Lavender and Parvati?” Dean asked “Yeah, I’ll ask them!” Seamus said excitedly.

“So it’s our first trip to a magical village and we’re sneaking off to a muggle one to watch a moving hand?” Neville asked, not very convinced. “We are NOT watching The Hand, ever, we’re watching a movie Nev, but if you don’t want to come that’s fine. I just thought it would fun for you guys to experience a little bit of my culture, instead of the other way around” Dean said. “No, it’s fine! I’m in” Neville told him and was accompanied by a chorus of _me too’_ s. He still wasn’t sure what a movie was but he did want to spend time with his friends.

 

Lavender and Parvati had agreed to go to the cinema with them, so on Saturday when McGonagall took them to their first trip to Hogsmeade, the seven teenagers made their way to Honeydukes first because Dean told them it wasn’t the complete experience if they didn’t sneak in a few sweets. After getting all stocked up, they headed down to the chimney that would lead them to freedom. 

Inverness was a beautiful village, the hills and lakes reminded Seamus of his home in Ireland. He thought about coming here, without the others, just him and Dean, but the thought was put on hold when Dean led them all to a building. It wasn’t that different to a normal store, just less things levitating and more flashing bright lights.

“Seven tickets for Jurassic Park, please” Dean told the ticket person and handed over his muggle money to pay. “Enjoy your movie” the man said as he handed Dean the tickets.

“Ok, rules. No talking, no getting up in the middle of the movie, no questions until the end, and most important, no magic” Dean told them as he handed them all their tickets. “I don’t think I understand” came Parvati’s voice amongst the chatter. “You sit down and then some images will appear on the screen. You’ll get the hang of it pretty soon, you’ll see” Justin whispered the last part just as the lights dimmed and the movie began.

“That. Was. Incredible” Neville enunciated every word “How is that possible, I though muggles didn’t have magic” Seamus said. “We have to do this again” and “I loved it” came from Tracey and Lavender, while Parvati nodded. Justin and Dean were smiling happily, finally being able to share some of their world with their friends.

The good mood was short lived, for when they arrived back to the castle, they were greeted with the news that Sirius Black had broken in. Dumbledore was making everyone sleep in the great hall until the whole school was searched. After Seamus had started sleeping in his bed last year, he never really went back to his own. It stopped being unusual in their dorm, hell even Neville had joined the cuddlefest a couple of times, but Dean wasn’t sure he was ready to let the whole school know. On the other hand, sleeping pressed against his best friend would sure help him feel a lot safer knowing that a killer was loose in the castle.

He didn’t need to worry that much, as soon as the Great Hall was set up with sleeping bags, Lavender, Parvati, Tracey and another Slytherin, Daphne Greengrass all pushed their bags together. Neville, Justin and Seamus started dragging theirs in the direction of the girls and Dean thought he didn’t really have a say in the matter, not that he was complaining. He placed his sleeping bag practically on top of Seamus’s and got ready to go to sleep.

“Do you think they’ll find him?” Lavender whispered, “I don’t know, but we’ll be safe in here” Parvati whispered back. “Could you be quiet and go to sleep?” Seamus whispered forcefully against Dean’s chest. “Sorry” they both told him.

It had been a few days and Sirius Black hadn’t been found inside the castle, the students were allowed to return to their dormitories, but everyone was still on edge. The Fat Lady had gone on strike so Dumbledore had to replace her with Sir Cadogan, and oh did Dean dislike him. It was a necessary evil, but it made them feel a little safer. Dean wished there would come a year where everything would be normal, no evil teachers trying to resurrect Voldemort, no giant snakes roaming the halls, and no murderers lurking in the castle. The most exciting thing that ever happened in his muggle school was when Mrs Turner brought a turtle to be the class pet. 

It was a week before the Christmas holidays, and the gang, plus a newly added Daphne were planning their last escape out of Hogsmeade before the parted ways. “So what exactly is a movie?” She asked. “Oh you’ll love it just you wait” Tracey told her. They ended up watching Wallace and Gromit and Daphne did indeed love it. She had been raised in a pure-blood family with very close minded values, but befriending Tracey and Justin, a muggle-born of all people, had helped her realize just how wrong her family was.

Being allowed to leave Hogwarts meant that for the first time Dean was able to give his present to Seamus before Christmas, it also meant that for the first time he wasn’t going to be there to see him open it, but he was counting on that. It had taken a lot of courage for Dean to be able to go up to McGonagall and ask for her help, and for a moment he thought she would say no, but thankfully she smiled and agreed. It took Dean months to perfect the charm, even with McGonagall’s help, she had offered to do it for him, but Dean thought it would be more special this way. When he had first thought of it, he felt guilty, anything inspired by Voldemort had to be evil, but the more he thought about the more he loved the idea. 

On one of their secret trips to Inverness, Dean had sneaked away to buy a pair of identical journals and with the help of McGonagall and a lot of practice, he had perfected the Protean Charm, linking the two notebooks together. So now, no matter where they were, all they had to do is write in one journal and the other would be able to read it.

“Merry Christmas Shay” Dean said and handed Seamus his gift wrapped journal. “Merry Christmas Dean” Seamus said and handed him his own Christmas present. They put they’re gifts into their trunks and made their way to the carriages that would take them to the Hogwarts Express station.

Once on the train Dean and Seamus tried to find their friends, they found Neville in one of the compartments with a blonde girl, probably second year. “Dean, Seamus, this is Luna, she’s a second year Ravenclaw” Neville introduced her. “Hello, would you like a Quibbler?” She asked handing them each a copy of a magazine Dean assumed was the Quibbler. Luna, while a bit quirky, was a really nice girl and Dean found himself really enjoying her conversation.

 

“Mum,” Dean started, one day when his dad had taken his sisters to the park “how do you know when you’re in love?” He doesn’t know what brought this on, but he knew he needed to talk to his mother. “Why do you ask, love? Do you think you’re in love?” Mrs Thomas asked. “Maybe, but I don’t know. How did you know you were in love with dad?” He asked. Mrs Thomas paused, thinking about how to answer, she knew she was going to have this conversation soon, but it still took her by surprise.

 

“Well, when you see them it’s the best part of your day, no matter how bad your day has been, being near them makes everything better,”

_Seamus had managed to blow himself up in potions class again, but for once had actually injured himself enough that Madam Pomfrey felt he should stay the night. The next day was the worst day Dean had ever had, he didn’t know why, but he hadn’t been able to sleep all night, he managed to drift off for a little bit, but it was mostly a restless night. That led to him being grumpy the next morning, he spilled pumpkin juice on himself at breakfast, he was unable to answer any of the questions McGonagall asked him in class, and he missed dinner because he had somehow locked himself in the third floor bathrooms, all he wanted was the day to end. But he decided to visit Seamus is the Hospital Wing before calling it a day, Seamus greeted him with the biggest smile and all the frustrations Dean had melted away on the spot, and suddenly it didn’t seem like such a bad day anymore._

 

“they are the first person you think about when you wake up and the last person you think about before you go to sleep,”

_“Shay what time is it?” Dean asked, not really fully awake. “Shay?” Still no answer, Dean turned and patted the spot beside him, before he realized it was Christmas break and he was in his own bed, Seamus was somewhere in Ireland doing his thing. He had become so accustomed to Seamus being next to him, that the thought of him not being there was somewhat unsettling._

 

“you’d do anything for them,”

_“Please?” Seamus begged, Dean absolutely hated Flying Seahorse Fishing, he’d done it once because Snape asked them to bring some for class, and he hated it with a passion, but this was Seamus asking. “Fine, we can go tomorrow morning” he relented. He was going to be cold, and damp, and going to hate every second of it, but it was going to make Seamus happy. “You’re the best,” and that smile was worth the cold, wet weather he was going to be having tomorrow._

 

“you love their imperfections,”

_“Are you okay?” Dean asked Seamus, he’s been acting weird all day and Dean had a suspicion as to why, “Is it about what Malfoy said? Because it’s rubbish and you know it.” Seamus sighed “It’s easy for you to say, you’re bloody perfect,” he complained, “you don’t have these stupid freckles, you’re not missing your eyebrows almost half of the time, and you’re still growing and not the size of a seven year old girl.” Nothing that Malfoy said had been a lie, he said it rudely, but he wasn’t lying. But Dean loved every single one of those things, he loved counting the freckles on Seamus’s face when they were laying down late at night, he found it endearing every time Seamus burnt his eyebrows off, but most of all he loved how perfectly Seamus fit against him._

 

“but most of all, they’re your best friend, your partner, you’re everything” she told him, remembering all of her best memories with Mr. Thomas. “Is there anything you want to talk about, darling?”

“Mum, I think I’m in love” Dean said, but he didn’t sound happy about it. Mrs Thomas waited, she knew her son needed to get it out, but she didn’t want to rush him. “Would it be ok? If I were in love?” He asked. “Of course, darling, of course” she hugged him. “Even if it were a boy?” He whispered, barely audible. “Dean, look at me dear. I want you to know that it doesn’t matter if you love a boy, you are always loved here, by your father, your sisters, and by no one more than me.” Dean let a few tears go, and hugged his mother harder than he ever had before. “So, would I be wrong in assuming this boy is Seamus?” She felt Dean tense a bit but he didn’t let go. “Is it that obvious?” He asked quietly “Sweetheart, you asked for tickets to the London Eye as a birthday present. When, in your thirteen years of living here, have you ever expressed any interest in going there? Plus, I can see that he loves you too.” She said. “Nothing happened, I promise” Dean assured his mum. “Dean, even if something had happened, I want you to know that it’s alright.”

Christmas Day arrived and Dean kept his journal on hand, he had written Merry Christmas on it in hopes that Seamus might figure out it’s true purpose. He ran down the stairs to open presents with his family. He was dying to open Seamus’s but with only Sam knowing about magic it was too much of a risk. His parents had gotten his a new set of paintbrushes and some watercolours, Sam had gotten him a scarf which she had made all by herself, Amelia had made him a matching hat and Jess and Mary had given him a hand made card which looked more like a bunch of scribbles than an actual card, but he loved it none the less.

It was a couple of hours before he was able to escape to his room and open Seamus’s present. But once he opened it, he was glad he waited. It was a magical photo album, on the first page was the photo they had taken of all the first year Gryffindors, then a picture of them in the hospital wing after the first time Seamus blew up his goblet, followed by one of Ginny, Hermione, Neville, Seamus and himself on the train to Hogwarts when Harry and Ron had stolen the flying car, Seamus and Dean down by the lake, them and Neville in the common room studying, the photo they had taken at the London Eye, how had he even managed to get that one to move, one of the whole gang on their first trip to Inverness, him and Neville pelting Lavender and Parvati with snowballs, but the rest of the album was blank, like a promise of all the wonderful things to come. He was closing the book when a note fell out of the back, 

_By the time we finish Hogwarts, I promise this will be full._

_Love, Seamus._

Dean turned back to the journal, it was blank, _well there goes him figuring it out on his own_ , he thought.

_The photographs are beautiful, I love it, thank you Shay_ he wrote, he waited a moment and sure enough Seamus’s scruffy hand writing appeared.

_Dean?_

_Yes, Merry Christmas Shay_

_Merlin’s beard, where did you get these?_

_I made them, well Professor McGonagall helped_

_She knows?_

_Is that okay?_

_Yes Dean, that’s more than ok_

They kept writing to each other, Dean drew sometimes, but somehow for the rest of the holidays Dean always had his journal by his side, earning him some knowing looks from his mum, but he didn’t care. Life was great.

 

The first couple of months after Christmas were pretty calm, every couple of weeks they would go to the cinema to see more movies, Sirius Black had not been sighted near Hogwarts again, and everything was looking ok, which is why it is exactly why everything went wrong. 

“Dean, have you seen a list anywhere? I can’t seem to find it” Neville asked him “No, a list of what?” He asked. “It’s the passwords for the whole week, Sir Cadogan keeps changing them and I can’t remember them all, so I made a list. I swear it was on my dresser this morning but I can’t find it” Neville explained. “Sorry Nev, but I’ll keep an eye out for it” Dean told him before heading out the door.

The boys woke up to Ron’s screams, Dean woke up with a start and almost pushed Seamus out of bed. “What the hell, Ron?” Seamus said, voice groggy from sleep. “Black! Sirius Black! With a knife!” Ron yelled. “What?”

“Here! Just now! Slashed the curtains! Woke me up!” Ron was in hysterics. “You sure you weren’t dreaming, Ron?” Dean asked. “Look at the curtains! I tell you, he was here!”

They all scrambled out of bed and headed down to the common room, everyone was asking what was wrong while Percy was yelling for everyone to go back to bed, and Ron was still having a meltdown over his nightmare. McGonagall came into the common room admonishing Percy and ordering the rest of the students back to bed, but Ron wasn’t letting it go. “Don’t be ridiculous, Weasley, how could he possibly have got through the portrait hole?” McGonagall asked, that was a good point, there was no other way in. Ron insisted it was true and demanded the professor ask Sir Cadogan. 

“Sir Cadogan, did you just let a man enter Gryffindor Tower?” Professor McGonagall looked like she was about to give Ron detention for the next few weeks. “Certainly, good lady!” cried Sir Cadogan. You could’ve heard a pin drop with the silence that followed. “With out the password? That’s why we have passwords!” She exclaimed. 

“He had ’em!” said Sir Cadogan proudly. “Had the whole week’s, my lady! Read ’em off a little piece of paper!” _Oh no._

_“_ Which one of you,” she said, her voice raising “which on of you abysmally foolish students wrote down this week’s passwords and left them lying around?” _Ooooh no._ Neville’s squeak seemed as loud as a canon as he slowly rose his arm in the air.

Neville was no longer allowed to go to the weekend visits to Hogsmeade, so the trips to the cinema were put on hold as well, and instead turned into snow fights in the village followed by butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks.

On one fateful weekend, Lavender and Parvati had decided to split up and do their own thing together, and Justin and Tracey said something about needed to catch up on homework, so that left Seamus and Dean. 

“You want to head back?” Dean asked after they had finished their butterbeers, Seamus nodded and they made their way back to Hogwarts hand in hand. “Remember the London Eye?” Dean said.  “Remember how I said I wasn’t ready for anything more?” Once again Seamus nodded, unsure of where this was heading. “What if I wanted to kiss you again? Properly this time” Dean said. Seamus stopped in his tracks and looked at Dean, “are you serious?” He asked, and it was Dean’s turn to nod. Seamus pulled Dean closer and very slowly, giving Dean ample time to step back, leaned in a kissed him. Properly.

“I’ve been wanting to do that since the first time” Seamus whispered. “Why didn’t you?” Dean whispered back. Seamus shot him an incredulous look, “You said you weren’t ready and I didn’t want to push you!” That earned a chuckle out of Dean. “Thank you,” he said and went back to kissing Seamus.

 

 

It was the last day of final exams and the whole gang was preparing to go to sneak into Hogsmeade, after Neville had been banned from weekend visits, they had stopped their cinema trips, even though Neville told them it was fine. “What movie are we gonna watch this time?” Lavender asked. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea to leave Hogsmeade with Sirius Black on the streets, to be honest” Dean told her, the rest of them agreed. “So then, how would you guys feel about visiting the Shrieking Shack?” She suggested. “Isn’t it supposed to be haunted?” Tracey asked.  “Are you scared?” Seamus asked mockingly. “No, but if we get killed it’s on you guys,” she said.

If anyone thought seven students making their way through the snow to the shrieking shack was odd, they didn’t mention it. “Do you think there will be ghosts?” Neville asked. “Nev, there are ghosts in Hogwarts” Seamus told him. “I know, but I mean bad ghosts, the Hogwarts ghosts are afraid of the shack.” He said. “If you’re getting cold feet, then by all means you can go back” Dean told him. “No it’s fine, I’m fine” Neville said.

“Guys, how exactly are we supposed to get in? There are no doors or windows” Parvati said, once they had reached the building. “It doesn’t seem haunted” Justin said, “I thought it would be scarier.”

“I found a door, but it’s blocked off” Seamus yelled, everyone came round to see. “ _Alohamora_ ” Tracey said, but nothing happened. “ _Aberto_ ” tried Justin. “ _Cistem Aperio_ ” Seamus said. “That’s for boxes” Tracey told him. “Well I don’t see yours working either” Seamus retorted. “I’ve got an idea,” Dean said “ _Dissendium_ ” he chanted, and the wooden planks from the side entrance disappeared. They looked at each other and quickly scuttled in, behind them the planks were settling back into place.

_Lumos_ they all said, wands acting as torches “It looks abandoned,” Lavender remarked, “but the scratches on the walls are fresh” she said as she gingerly ran her hand against the wall. Neville was not feeling too great, “I have a bad feeling about this.” They continued to walk around the shack, Dean too had a bad feeling about it so he grabbed Seamus’s hand as they continued to explore the shack. 

“Look, I think I found a passage way” Parvati said, they all gathered around her, and sure enough there it was. “Guys” Neville said. “That’s weird, it wasn’t visible from the outside” Seamus remarked. “Guys” Neville repeated. “Where do you think it goes?” Tracey asked. “ _Guys_ ” Neville said with a little more urgency in his voice. “What!” Seamus demanded. Neville raised his finger and pointed to a lurking figure behind a door. It was too dark to his face, but the ragged Azkaban uniform was unmistakeable. “Run” Dean breathed before tugging on Seamus's hand and running down the passage way for his life. He could hear the rest of them following closely behind. “I told you we were going to die” Tracey screamed “I said I had a bad feeling and you made fun of me” Neville yelled. “Just shut up and keep running” Seamus yelled back. 

They reached the end of the passage and Dean let go of Seamus’s hand to climb up the stairs. “It’s the Whomping Willow” Dean exclaimed, “we’re going to get killed if we go out.” 

“As opposed to getting murdered if we stay here?” Tracey said. “Wait, I read about a spell in a book that might just work” Justin said, “move over.” He pushed past Dean and climbed out enough to point his wand at the tree and yell “ _Immobulus_ ”

“Hurry up, he’s going to catch up any second now” Lavender urged, but Justin was already half way out of the tree. The rest of them scrambled out behind him, “ _Finite incantatem_ ” Justin  lowered his wand, “In case he tries to follow us” he said. “We need to tell someone! We need to tell Dumbledore” Dean said “We sneaked out of Hogwarts, we were breaking and entering and we bewitched school property, we’ll be expelled”  Parvati said. “Look Hermione set a teacher on fire in her first year, Harry and Ron made poly juice potion and broke into the Slytherin common room and they haven’t been expelled yet. If we don’t tell anyone about this someone might die” Dean said firmly. “They did what?” Lavender asked “They broke into my common room?” Tracey said disbelievingly. “Harry and Ron talk when they think the rest of us are asleep” Neville clarified. “So, we go to Dumbledore then” Seamus said. 

They were running to Dumbledore’s office when they were intercepted by Professor Snape “Stop right there” he commanded. “What are you seven doing out of bed?” It sounded more like an order than a question. “We need to speak to Dumbledore, sir, immediately. It’s about Sirius Black” Neville said, uncharacteristically brave. “What exactly are you going to tell him, Mr Longbottom?” Snape demanded. Tracey looked at Dean who nodded. “There is a passage from the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking shack, we think that’s how Black has been getting into the castle. And we know for a fact that’s he’s there right now” Tracey told him. Snape’s face remained the same, but Dean could see a glimmer of realization in his eyes. “Very well, Miss Davis, you are all to return to your dormitories at once, I will see to this immediately.” 

“Does anyone else have the feeling that Snape knows something we don’t?” Seamus said, once Snape had disappeared around the corridor. “Not here” Dean whispered and lead them all to Gryffindor Tower. “Wait, we can’t go in” Justin said pointing to himself and Tracey. “If Harry can go into the Slytherin common room, then you can come into ours” Lavender said decisively. Once inside, a few Gryffindors were laying about in the common room, and one of them started to protest at the two non-Gryffindors, but Seamus just pushed everyone into the third-year boys dormitory. “Harry and Ron are always Merlin knows where, we can talk in here” Seamus said and plopped down on Dean’s bed, Dean sat down next to him. Lavender and Parvati sat on Seamus’s bed and Neville on his own. Tracey and Justin stood awkwardly for a second before deciding to share Harry’s bed.

“Does anyone else find it weird that we got sent off without even a reprimand?” Justin asked. “Snape once gave me detention for breathing too loudly, this was a perfect opportunity to take points away from Gryffindor” Neville said. 

“Why is there a passage from Hogwarts to the Shack? Was is it guarded by the Whomping Willow? Why were there no clear entrances from the outside? Is no one else bothered by this?” Seamus asked. “Remember when Snape gave us that essay on recognizing werewolves?” Dean asked and everyone nodded. “I think Professor Lupin is a werewolf, and I think that’s where he goes every month” he told them. “I think Dumbledore would tell us if one of our teachers was a werewolf” Tracey said. “Really? What do you think parents would say?” Justin countered. “It all makes sense, oh Merlin, he’s a werewolf” Neville said. “We can’t tell anyone, if this gets out, parents will have him sacked!” Seamus exclaimed. “It’ll be our secret”

Professor Lupin resigned from the DADA post and the group didn’t even get the chance to keep the secret for long. “I guess it’s official, the DADA post is really cursed” Parvati said. Dean snorted, “it’s a shame, he’s by far the best teacher we’ve had.”

 

“Hey, my mum bought us tickets for the Quidditch World Cup for my birthday” Seamus told Dean on the train back to London. “Do you want to come with us?” It’s a few days before the start of term, you can stay with me that week and I can show you Ireland?” Seamus suggested. Dean smiled, “I’ve got to convince my mum first but I would love to go,” Dean responded. 

“Hey guys, mind if we join you?” Neville asked, Dean waved them in and Neville, Luna and Ginny joined them. “You going to the Quidditch World Cup?” Neville asked. “Yeah, Seamus just invited me”

“Oh, maybe we’ll see you there, my dad got us tickets from work! I’m really looking forward to it.” Ginny told them “What about you Luna?” She asked. “Oh, I don’t think I’ll be going” Luna answered kindly. “That’s ok, I’m not going either, my gran hates it” Neville said.

 

Dean couldn’t wait until the end of summer.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this turned out longer than expected but I had a lot of fun writing it.


End file.
